Please help suggestions for toddler meals

krisstyk1224

Hi! I am looking for some easy/quick suggestions for meals for my 18 month old. He seems to be sick of my routine yogurt/ chicken tenders/ hot dog etc. I also have a 6 month old so I am looking for easy/ micro etc. Thanks so much!

eyenigh

My son is a picky eater and pretty much a pastatarian for all meals outside of breakfast. He lives on spaghetti with marinara or marinara with finely ground turkey in it. I jam in extra veggies in the sauce when I can and also use the hidden veggie pasta. He also likes gnocchi with those same sauces. Mac and cheese and grilled cheese are also huge in our house. Baked sweet potato fries are our easy go-to veggie choice.

blu-eyedwife

I will put myself firmly in the camp of "lazy parent" it's why my son eats whatever we eat.  I really don't have the time and energy to prepare separate meals for him.    And we've done this since he was 6 months old.  So if I were in your shoes, my 18 month old and my 6 month old would be eating the same things my husband and I were eating.  Much quicker and easier than making him his own chicken tenders or hot dogs. 

For breakfast today he had cereal, because my husband had cereal and poured an extra bowl.
For lunch he had pasta with peas and mozzarella, because I packed pasta with peas and mozzarella for my husband and I for lunch.
For dinner he'll have pulled chicken sandwiches and fruit because there's chicken in our crockpot right now and I bought a ton of peaches this weekend.

oliversmommy32912

Same as PP's. He eats what we eat and we both eat the leftovers the following night. Last night he ate lemon chicken, zucchini, and rice. Tonight we are having chicken enchiladas and salad.

Sometimes he can't eat what we are eating so we make him something else. Our go-to easy meals are: Rotisserie chicken with mixed veggies, spinach ravioli, turkey meatballs (most of the time I make these ahead and freeze them but sometimes we buy a bag), quesadillas with avocado, grilled cheese, deli meat and cheese, and occasionally pasta, though he doesn't care for it much. We always give a fruit or veggie with every meal choice. In a pinch I like to buy the diced frozen veggie mix (it usually has corn, green beans, peas, carrots, and lima beans) and microwave them with some water and add some butter or coconut oil.

yepyepsms

OP - I am in a situation where I have to feed my LO seperately, perhaps you are too. I'd like to feed him the same as us, but he wants to eat dinner at 5 or 530. We've tried later dinners, snacks, and it just doesn't work.  He begs for dinner at that time...also related to his early bed time.  My hubby feeds him and I don't get home from work until 530 or 6.  I don't cook dinner for DH and I until after he goes to bed at 7PM.

I sometimes make a casserole or two that he likes on the weekend and then freeze in small portions for easy heating for him.  I also have frozen turkey meatballs that I heat up with spag sauce.  He loves cut up fruit so that is always one of his meal contents.  I also make quesadillas with shredded cheese and deli meat heated up for a "main" dish. I also make him scrambled eggs for dinner and will sometimes put meat and veg in the scramble.  Lastly, Whole Foods makes some awesome chicken salads. I buy those and give him some of the chicken.  I am sure your grocery deli might have some of these that you could keep on hand for quick seving to him.  Most counters have a variety of salads (veg, pasta, fruit, various ranges of "healthy" or not so much) that might work for you guys. I try to serve all of his meals with veg and fruit. In a pinch I did find ind size microwave veggies at target.  Easy to throw in for steamed veggies just the right size. 

 

Good luck.

JENandJEH

smdukes said:

OP - I am in a situation where I have to feed my LO seperately, perhaps you are too. I'd like to feed him the same as us, but he wants to eat dinner at 5 or 530. We've tried later dinners, snacks, and it just doesn't work.  He begs for dinner at that time...also related to his early bed time.  My hubby feeds him and I don't get home from work until 530 or 6.  I don't cook dinner for DH and I until after he goes to bed at 7PM.

If this is the case, why not just keep the leftovers from the night before and offer that as his dinner the following night?  He'll be eating what you eat, just a day after?  

DS2 eats whatever it is that we're eating.  He always has and we've never had any problems.  He has hit picky stages but there is always SOMETHING that he will eat if he's feeling picky that night.  Also, I usually cook up a batch of pasta and keep it in the fridge during the week (he loves the veggie tri-colored rotini) so I can add that to meals or use it as a meal for him if I need to.  Occasionally for lunch I'll roll up some cheese and lunch meat then slice it into pinwheels and he likes that.  He also loves veggies so I'll cook a bag of steam-in-bag peas or carrots and keep that in the fridge for quick go-to foods.  

yepyepsms

JENandJEH said:

smdukes said:

OP - I am in a situation where I have to feed my LO seperately, perhaps you are too. I'd like to feed him the same as us, but he wants to eat dinner at 5 or 530. We've tried later dinners, snacks, and it just doesn't work.  He begs for dinner at that time...also related to his early bed time.  My hubby feeds him and I don't get home from work until 530 or 6.  I don't cook dinner for DH and I until after he goes to bed at 7PM.

If this is the case, why not just keep the leftovers from the night before and offer that as his dinner the following night?  He'll be eating what you eat, just a day after?  

DS2 eats whatever it is that we're eating.  He always has and we've never had any problems.  He has hit picky stages but there is always SOMETHING that he will eat if he's feeling picky that night.  Also, I usually cook up a batch of pasta and keep it in the fridge during the week (he loves the veggie tri-colored rotini) so I can add that to meals or use it as a meal for him if I need to.  Occasionally for lunch I'll roll up some cheese and lunch meat then slice it into pinwheels and he likes that.  He also loves veggies so I'll cook a bag of steam-in-bag peas or carrots and keep that in the fridge for quick go-to foods.  

we do feed him leftovers too..but many sometimes there aren't any. 

StacyJYay

Quick & easy go-to meals if LO isn't eating what you're eating:

- scrambled eggs (with cheese, veggies); can be made/eaten any time, not just breakfast

- buy a rotisserie chicken from your local supermarket; just shred it up (my LO loves the dark meat) and add some veggies (slices of avocado for good fat is great, too)

- nut butter on a sliced banana

- slice of pizza from your local pizzeria with a side of veggies

- when I resort to frozen meals, I turn to Amy's organic mac & cheese and Applegate Naturals chicken nuggets.   
 

chicsahm

I don't always cook full meals because DH works late a lot. But when I do cook I make extra and portion it out to microwave for other nights. (He also eats early at 5pm, I eat later) DS does have chicken nuggets prob once a week or every other with microwave bagged veggies and sweet potato puffs, or I make Annie's white mac and cheese with tossed with peas and tuna into it (like tuna noodle), I pre make a lot of turkey meat balls and will toss a couple cut up meat balls with egg noodles, cut up veggies and pasta sauce. Frozen un-breaded fish fillets are easy to toss into the oven... I mix with a little tarter sauce, sweet potato puffs and veggies tossed with grated park cheese. I always give veggies as I prep the rest of meal so he eats them first (unless it is mixed in with the meal. He also loves any kind of stew, salmon cakes, brisket, shepards pie, he loves veggies cooked or raw, sandwiches for lunch (hummus, turkey, PB&J, cheese), he snacks on veggies and hummus with me.... he has the typical toddler food too, just not all the time.

chicsahm

@theresat858 if I give DS purred soup like the roasted red pepper/tomato soup we love.... I feed him it. If it is more like a  minestrone soup, I put it in a bowl with just a little broth... similar to how I give him cereal. He uses his spoon sometimes and his hands are messy but not so messy I can't just wipe him down or rinse them off. He loves soup.

&orchid&

I feed my 1 year old cod and salmon fish. He loves it. You just have to bake it for ten minutes on350 and then you have a couple days worth. Otherwise he gets what we are eating most of the time unless we're eating junk. I buy frozen peas and canned carrots. He loves those. Peas you just have to put under warm water for a few seconds. For lunch if I eat a salad he usually gets those and left over meat from night before. The only thing so far that my kid hates is poultry and those days I do tend to give him pasta or cheese sausage.

aboynamedbarry

Nicb13 said:

blu-eyedwife said:

I will put myself firmly in the camp of "lazy parent" it's why my son eats whatever we eat.  I really don't have the time and energy to prepare separate meals for him.    And we've done this since he was 6 months old.  So if I were in your shoes, my 18 month old and my 6 month old would be eating the same things my husband and I were eating.  Much quicker and easier than making him his own chicken tenders or hot dogs. 

For breakfast today he had cereal, because my husband had cereal and poured an extra bowl.
For lunch he had pasta with peas and mozzarella, because I packed pasta with peas and mozzarella for my husband and I for lunch.
For dinner he'll have pulled chicken sandwiches and fruit because there's chicken in our crockpot right now and I bought a ton of peaches this weekend.

I also don't get how having one family meal that everyone can eat is lazy? You shouldn't have to prepare separate meals for a child that can chew the same foods you can.  

Pretty sure they are probably being facetious

rachelbradley44@hotmail.com

One of my favorite easy meals is pot roast with potatoes, carrots & onions in the crockpot.  It takes preplanning, but it is so nice coming home to an already made meal (I work full-time).  DS will eat beef or pork roasts and loves the carrots and potatoes.  Also, one of my easy go-to meals when I don't have anything planned are homemade cheese, avocado & black bean quesadillas.  It's fast and you can stick a bunch of veggies in there like bell peppers, tomatoes, corn, or anything else you think would be good.  Meal time can be tough.  I can't even imagine trying to do it with a 6 month old!  Hope you get some good ideas.

melody921

Count us in the "kids eat what we eat" camp too. It makes life simpler. Besides, I think it's good for kids to get exposed to a variety of foods and flavors. That said, lunches are often different bc I don't give DD pb yet. A favorite of hers is pita with hummus mixed with steamed carrots or sweet potatoes. For a quick go-to, I like Dr. Praeger's veggie burgers.

Stuuuaaart

I have found that quesadillas work really well. You can put any protein and veggie in there and they are great when made the night before and reheated. The most current quesadilla I am making for my LO is cheddar, spinach and turkey. I use fajita wraps and just make them quick in a skillet. You can also put avocado, peppers, carrots, zucchini, chicken, beef etc. in there. In addition to this I feed her meatballs, potatoes, pancakes, waffles, omelets, and French toast. Hope this helps!

amarie923

For everyone who's child eats what they eat, or at least a variation of it - do they have most of their teeth? My daughter is 18 months and still only has 4 top teeth and 4 bottom so she can't really mush up some foods well enough - like thicker skins of apples, cucumbers.  I'm still leaning towards softer foods.  And in regards to giving them sandwiches / salads / pitas- are you actually giving them a sandwich, or deconstructing it (like giving them pieces of bread, cheese, meat, etc.) because I can't imagine it staying together when they try to eat it.  

Flamingemu

amarie923 said:

For everyone who's child eats what they eat, or at least a variation of it - do they have most of their teeth? My daughter is 18 months and still only has 4 top teeth and 4 bottom so she can't really mush up some foods well enough - like thicker skins of apples, cucumbers.  I'm still leaning towards softer foods.  And in regards to giving them sandwiches / salads / pitas- are you actually giving them a sandwich, or deconstructing it (like giving them pieces of bread, cheese, meat, etc.) because I can't imagine it staying together when they try to eat it.  

Teeth don't really matter, their gums are strong enough to mash most foods. I still peel the skin off of cukes and apples (other tough skinned foods) to make it easier for her. I have given DD a wrap and of course it doesn't stay together, but does it need to?

amarie923

For everyone who's child eats what they eat, or at least a variation of it - do they have most of their teeth? My daughter is 18 months and still only has 4 top teeth and 4 bottom so she can't really mush up some foods well enough - like thicker skins of apples, cucumbers.  I'm still leaning towards softer foods.  And in regards to giving them sandwiches / salads / pitas- are you actually giving them a sandwich, or deconstructing it (like giving them pieces of bread, cheese, meat, etc.) because I can't imagine it staying together when they try to eat it.  

Nicb13 said:

@amarie923 I give DS a half a sandwich occasionally and usually let him take bites while I'm holding it. I have set it down on his high chair tray before and let him go to town, eating it however he wants, with me supervising of course If I don't watch, he will shove so much food in his mouth that he literally cant chew it and has to spit it out.

He has 6 teeth on the top and 6 on the bottom but even with only a few teeth he was crunching granola bars so their mouths are strong.

That's true - I do give her those Happy Tot granola bars and some other types and she does just fine!  I just get in such a rut of giving her the same things, I'll have to spice it up for her.  Thanks!

JWSchwarz

Agree w/ PP's about just eating what we have. But some quick and easy things (in case eating earlier than us):

lunch/dinner:

- PB&J

- Cheese Quesadilla with Black Beans

Snacks:

- Bread & Butter and a small bowl of cottage cheese

- Nutra Grain bars 

- Scrambled egg w/ cheese

- Amy's Cheddar Bunnies & an applesauce

I also sometimes make up a small batch of whole wheat pasta and keep it on hand for a couple of days. It's really easy to reheat that for a few seconds in the microwave, and separately cook some frozen peas. Toss some cheese in and you have a delicious little pasta casserole:)

plus12012

For everyone who's child eats what they eat, or at least a variation of it - do they have most of their teeth? My daughter is 18 months and still only has 4 top teeth and 4 bottom so she can't really mush up some foods well enough - like thicker skins of apples, cucumbers.  I'm still leaning towards softer foods.  And in regards to giving them sandwiches / salads / pitas- are you actually giving them a sandwich, or deconstructing it (like giving them pieces of bread, cheese, meat, etc.) because I can't imagine it staying together when they try to eat it.  

 

DD has no teeth. I do break her food up in to bite size pieces so I cna monitor how much she tries to shove in her mouth at one time. But, really she does fine and she definitely chews her food. Are pediatrician says you really don't use the teeth in front of your mouth to chew, so even babies with a lot of teeth are still using gums to chew until they get back teeth and molars.

 

melody921

amarie923 said:

For everyone who's child eats what they eat, or at least a variation of it - do they have most of their teeth? My daughter is 18 months and still only has 4 top teeth and 4 bottom so she can't really mush up some foods well enough - like thicker skins of apples, cucumbers.  I'm still leaning towards softer foods.  And in regards to giving them sandwiches / salads / pitas- are you actually giving them a sandwich, or deconstructing it (like giving them pieces of bread, cheese, meat, etc.) because I can't imagine it staying together when they try to eat it.  

DD just got her 3rd tooth, but she eats a lot of stuff. Pita sandwiches stay together pretty well for her (I cut them in slices). I peel tough-skinned fruits, and veggies still get steamed. But she gums up a lot of stuff.

amarie923

Loolaide said:

Does nobody here have an actual picky toddler?  S refuses food and will just drink wcm unless he wants to eat it and is familiar with it.  Sometimes, he'll eat it when he's distracted, but it still has to be the right texture.

And we did blw and he was always like that, but I didn't push it because 'food before one is just for fun' and, now that he bfs less, he started dropping percentiles to the point where the pedi was bugging us about it, until we started making him two or three meals (one is what we eat, another is foods that he might like, and the last is usually a sweet veggie bread, like zucchini bread, and grapes) in the hopes that he'd eat the first or second, but giving him the third so he wouldn't go hungry.

I do! Well sort of- I give her a good variety and she'll eat a two or three bites and then not be interested in it at all.  This has been going on for a good 1-2 months and it's beyond frustrating. I start out giving her mainly whatever I'm making for a meal, but I do the same as you - have something on hand that I know she'll eat so she isn't hungry.  So I don't know if it's her being picky since she does eat a few bites, or if it's a toddler thing.  She drinks whole milk fine, but I don't offer it to her until a while after meals so I know she isn't filling up on milk and just not hungry.